Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-10-20
TIE UNMASKED SHARPER.
The Stake Played for by Father
and Son.
By rpouARp srrBEcKBR.

PEELED from a club. PlayIng III collus-
ion with a professional gambler he had
cheated al cards. and in few months
had won considerable sum.
And has he killed himself" asked
someone.
'Bsh!" replied another. Do men
kill themselves for so little nowadaysp
1t was different in the good old times. +"
I'm the good old times, as you call
Them" said old General Roy, 'those
who adopted the card sharper pro-
fession killed themselves no more than
those OF the present time. A few eX-
ceptions there may have been among
those who were detected at the outset.
But II the first attempt succeeded, they
did as they do to-day. they quickly
accustomed themselves to their degra-
dat on. All! it l. so easy. When
respect for hi. own good namo will not
restrain man at the first attempt, 1t is
entirely dead within him. and even q
scandal will not revive it. BY the way,
/ can tell you OF curious case in point,
where hsro blew out his brains, but
it was not su eide. No, strange ss 1t
may sound. Is was nots suicide. Listen:
at was some 30 years ago. Tho
press of that time was not the terrible
gossip that 1t u to-day, and sensational
news never passed certain bounds.
There were not fewer scandals. but the
scandals wero less known. In fact,
think there were rather more. Not
that we are more virtuous. but the fear
of publicity is certainly . great check.
Among tho elegant young fellows,
the gildsd youth of those days, who
furnished the greater part of the scan
dsIous gossip by their eccontrlcIties
and duels, WAS young gentleman at
tschsd to the kings household. l
shall call him the Vicomte Roland. Tho
name was not an illustrlous one; in
tsct the Vicomte was the fruit OF one OF
those mixed marriages introduced by
Napoleon l. General Comte Roland,
whoEe heavy cavalry charges are
matters of history had married the
daugter of the Marquis de Barnsac, a
member of one OF the wealthicst and
most powerful families of France. His
son wM thcn about 26 years Of age.
He had not the robust, plebeian beauty
of his father, who had been one OF the
hsndsomest men in the army. He was
rather the delicate and distinguished
gracs Of his mother. whose idol
he was. Having loved her husband
passionatcly, the countess was now
wrapped up in her son.
The extravagant life led by the son
had caused a quarrel between tho par.
ents. The countess lived in the
Bransac Hotel. one of the finest in tho
Fsuhurg Saint-Germain, while the
general, secuding himself in a little
chateau in the forest OF Sonart, passed
his time in the pleasures of the chase.
They say he had mistreated his wife,
but II was utterly untrue. The fact is
that there had been between the gencr-
NJ and his wife two terrible scenes.
''fhe first was caused b. an idea
which took possession of the countess.
She found this name Roland too
plcbean for her son. and tormented
her husband to obtain the kings au-
thorlty to add TO it that of DeBransac
The general energetically refused.
My name has sufficed for me. said
hs-for mo who has made it famous
1t will do for this tino gentleman. my
sor. II he docs not find it brilliant
enough let him try to add to its lustre.
The second scene was brought about
= by the yicOEte abductiug ballet dan
Ger, and br duel and debt which were
the consequences of this little affair.
ahe general brought the son before his
mother and roughly reprovedf him for
his folly. Instead of supporting her
husband the countess made excuses for
asr son. Women always are indulgent
towards the man in love sGrape.
"As the gsnoral told his son that hi.
fortune WAS not sufficient to maintain
such scsndalous absurditics, the count.
sss unhsppily iutsrisoted:
"Oh. the fortune Of the De Bran.
sacs will amply suffice for him.
She had not calculated the effect OF
her speech. An hour later the general
left the hotel and went TO hi. chateau
at tho end Of week the family notary
Informed the countess that her entire
personal property was at her disposal
The separation was complete. and the
general lived alone on the Is, 900 franc:
which constituted the revenue he re-
ssiyed from his own fortune.
Tho son made ducks and brakes o.
her fortune. At the end Of six months
the countess was half ruined. and tn,
energy of tbs notary alone saved he
sons extrayagancsG
"All at once it became known tina
the Vicomte Roland no longer bslongsc
to the kings household. and that b,
had handed in his resignation a
lieutenant in cavalry regiment. That i
sosN' " 60 SiHCh Oul, uub lulllOlS Vi u ull
srent character wereahoat. The count
ess no longer appeared in public, bu
confined herself to her hotel. In fe,
weeks she seemed ten years older.
The vicomter after voyage
some weeks in Italy, returned to Pari:
took apartments in the Rue de
Chaussee dAut n, and lived the life
an idler on the pension of 1000 franc
amonth allowed him by his mother.
would be little to-day. but at that tin
II enabled man to make quite figul
In the fashionable world. He passt
his time between love adventures. Il
theatres and the green table. The
little by little his elegance and h
cccentricites began to be talked abou
Clubs we're not as plentiful as they n
low. but the gilded youth and Il
gamesters had few of them whe
lovers of the green cloth could amu
themselves.